Hello, everyone! I'm been on a roll recently, and I've been writing like crazy. I've been wanting to write a KyzaLyre story for a while now, and after looking at 'Ribbon' again, I decided to apply the same theme to this story. Hence, the title.

Oscar: That's very… original of you.

FireEdge: Don't let that worry you too much. This story is much different, since the characters are… well, who they are. Oh, since I'm switching between the past and the present a lot, the past is in italics, so you all don't get confused. Sorry if it hurts your eyes. Anyway, enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

Collar

The laguz market was crowded and noisy. Merchants harked their wares from their stalls and proffered samples to passing customers. Families bustled about on their errands, talking loudly to each other. Little children shrieked and laughed as they ran around the adults' legs. Among this crowd, four young laguz strolled leisurely, chatting to each other over the cacophony of the street.

"So you're leaving tomorrow?" Lyre asked, sidling up to Ranulf.

"Yes, but don't worry, I'll stop by to say farewell to you and Lethe in the morning," he replied, slyly stepping away from Lyre and closer to Lethe. "So, Lethe, will you miss me?"

"Hmph, of course not. I'll probably see you soon anyway. Once I'm of age, I'll be joining the army myself," Lethe said, quickening her pace.

"Ugh, I don't know why you're both so eager to join the army! I hate fighting! It's so dirty and dangerous!" exclaimed Lyre with disgust. She then turned to the young tiger beside her. "What about you, Kyza? You're not going to join the army too, are you?"

"Ah well… I'm not sure yet," he answered with a shrug. "Probably though. What better way to show pride for Gallia than fighting for her? Right, Ranulf?"

"Hmm, yes I suppose so."

"Tsk! I can't believe you, Kyza! You're just joining 'cause Ranulf's joining!" Lyre cried.

"I am not!"

"Yes you are! You're always trying to be like Ranulf! Too bad you're so stuffy! He at least talks and laughs! Unlike you!"

"Will you guys just shut up? It's loud enough as it is!" Lethe snapped irritably.

"Oh look! Ribbons!" Lyre exclaimed, not hearing her sister, instead running towards a nearby stall that held ribbons, collars and jewellery. "Don't you think this pink ribbon would look good on me?"

"No," Lethe said, her tail twitching with annoyance. "It's too elegant for you, and you're so short it'd probably trail on the ground and get dirty."

"WHAT?!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Lyre," Ranulf said, stepping in between the two sisters. "What Lethe meant was that it doesn't suit you. Personally, I think that a collar would look much better on you! Why don't you try one on?"

"Well… all right, if you say so, Ranulf," the other cat replied grudgingly. Kyza snorted, immediately turning it into a cough when Lyre shot a glare at him.

"What about this one? This one looks nice!"

"Yes, it looks very cute," Ranulf said with a nod.

"Oh! It's so expensive… I really like it, though… Well, maybe next time…" Lyre remarked, her ears flattening on her head in disappointment.

"If you're not going to buy anything, can we go? I want to get something to eat!" Lethe said crossly.

"Fine, fine, let's go."

As the three cats strolled ahead, Kyza hung back for a moment. He stared intently at the collar Lyre had picked up. It was a thick, magenta collar made of leather. Attached to the front was a small, metal charm and a short ribbon trailed from the back.

"Kyza! C'mon, hurry up!!"

"Coming."

"Give it to me, Kyza! I want it! I want it! I want it!" Lyre pleaded, clinging to his arm.

"I think NOT! After you were so rude, there's definitely no way I will let you have it! If you want it so much, just try and take it from me," the tiger scoffed, walking on, dragging the cat along effortlessly.

"But Kyzaaa! You're already so big and strong!" she said, stepping in front of him, causing him to stop in his tracks. "See! Look at all your muscles! You're like a rock!" Lyre added, as she ran her hands down his chest to emphasize her point causing the tiger flush and bristle.

"W-What do you think you're doing? Don't touch me, Lyre!" he exclaimed, pushing her off, his face red. He could still feel where her hands had touched him and his heart was starting to beat faster.

"I don't understand why the captain would give it to you!" she pouted, completely oblivious of Kyza's reaction. "I'm even wearing my best collar!"

Kyza snorted and rolled his eyes. She was so full of herself sometimes. Did she really think that Ranulf would base his judgement on something as trivial as appearance? Sure, she was cute, but he was the one who did all the work! His gaze then flickered to the collar on her neck and he rolled his eyes again. The collar was ratty and old, anyway. It looked familiar, though…

"That collar you're wearing…"

"It's my favourite collar! It's also the first one I ever got," she answered, a wistful look passing over her visage. "What? Is there something on my face? You're staring at me."

"I was not! You're imagining things," he retorted, turning away abruptly. "Let's go! We're about to go into battle!"

"Kyza! Wait! Why're you walking so fast for?!"

"Kyza! There you are! Ranulf's about to go, you know!" Lyre chided as Kyza emerged from around the corner of her house.

"Sorry, I just had to do something…"

"Well, glad I could see you before I left," Ranulf said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too, Ranulf. I'll see you soon, I'm sure." Kyza replied with a grin. Ranulf returned the smile and turned to give Lyre a hug and attempted to give Lethe one as well. A few minutes later, he was walking down the road, his tail swishing around behind him leisurely.

Ranulf was Kyza's role model. The cat was strong, fast and smart. He was also friendly and eloquent, which made him very diplomatic. The young tiger himself was strong, but he wasn't very good with people. Others usually thought he was aloof, since he rarely spoke, and when he did, he spoke so politely and briskly that it made him appear thus. However, one certain female cat was always able to make him act very… expressive.

"Lyre! We have to pull back!" Kyza hollered, clutching a wound on his arm. The cat wasn't listening to him and was instead dashing here and there, scanning the ground. "Lyre! Are you listening to me? I said let's go!"

Kyza shifted into a tiger, ignoring his wound and leapt at an enemy soldier. Aiming for his throat, Kyza easily defeated him and turned to look for Lyre again. She was still skittering about, avoiding enemy attacks. He ran towards her and quickly dispatched a couple of enemies before shifting back.

"Lyre! This is an order from your commanding officer! I said fall back, so move it!" he growled, grabbing her arm. What did she think she was doing? She was running around like a maniac on a battlefield! She could get killed!

"No! I lost it! I have to find it!" she replied desperately. "My collar's gone!"

"You lost WHAT?" he demanded incredulously. "This is stupid! You can get a new collar, but you can't get a new life! Now move! We can't get killed here!"

"No, no, no! I need to find it!" Lyre tore herself free of Kyza's grip and started to run off.

Kyza's mind raced through the options that he could take. He could leave her; after all, it wasn't his problem since she was the one disobeying an order. However, if he did that, the chances of her getting killed were very high. His other choice would be to forcefully make her retreat. Frowning and contemplating for a moment, he made up his mind and caught up to Lyre.

"My apologies, Lyre, but you leave me no choice," he said into her ear before delivering a swift blow to the back of her neck. Slinging her small body over his shoulder, he began to head back towards their camp. As he trotted along, he couldn't help but wonder why he had done that.

"Lethe! Kyza!" Lyre cried as she exited the house. "Look what I found on my windowsill!" The young cat was holding a small box. She opened it to show them its contents, and they saw a magenta collar.

"Isn't that the collar we saw yesterday?" asked Lethe, picking it up and examining it.

"Yes! I bet Ranulf got it for me and left it before he went," Lyre said with a happy sigh. Her twin scoffed before dropping the collar back into its box.

"I don't think so."

"Well, who else would it be?! It couldn't just be some total stranger! It's too coincidental!" Lyre retorted. "What do you think, Kyza?"

"… I'm not going to indulge your pathetic fantasy," he answered shortly, frowning. Why was she so blind? Did she really think that Ranulf liked her back?

"Argh! Whatever! I know it was Ranulf! I don't care what you two think!" she snapped before putting on the collar and running off.

"KYZA!" Lyre growled, stomping into his tent, tears in her eyes. "How dare you!"

If it wasn't for his reflexes, his face would have been punched in. Luckily for him, he caught her fist. However, her foot swiftly connected with his shin and he let out a grunt of pain. Grabbing her shoulder, he managed to twist her around and he pinned both her arms behind her back. After much struggling, he managed to force her to the ground, one leg keeping hers clamped to the floor.

"Let me go, you stupid, old tiger!" she spat, trying to twist her head around to look at him.

"I'm two years older than you! I hardly think that that justifies you calling me 'old', you immature, irrational cat! I saved your life and you come barging into my tent trying to claw my face off! Where's your gratitude?! Is this how your parents raised you?!"

"I didn't need you to save me! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" she replied acridly. The laguz stopped talking a moment to calm herself as she began to tear up again. "I'll never find it now! It's gone forever and it's all your fault!"

Suddenly she began struggling again, and caught off guard, Kyza lost his grip on her. Her head hit him in the jaw and he fell backwards. Lyre immediately jumped up and her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt. He opened his mouth to say something, but the look on her face was so… pained that he paused. Then again, she wasn't the only one who was hurt.

"You're preposterous. You can just get a new collar; in fact, you have many other collars! That one was old and beaten anyway," he said stiffly, matching her gaze intently.

"I can't replace it, you idiot! Why can't you understand that?! It was special! That was my first collar and… and…" Her face softened and took on the same expression it made when she was talking to a certain blue-haired laguz. That look was enough to make Kyza lose the last of his restraint.

"And what? Is it because Ranulf gave it to you? Is that what you were going to say?" Kyza asked bitterly, his lips almost sneering. "Do you really think that he bought it for you? I'm sure you do, but you're just so desperate that you've convinced yourself that it was him! You have no idea who gave it to you!"

SLAP! Kyza's eyes widened as he felt his left cheek begin to burn with the sting of Lyre's hand. Blinking, he turned his head to look at the other laguz. She was crying again, but this time she was no longer angry.

"I hate you," she said quietly before dashing out of his tent. It wasn't until a few minutes after she left that her words sank in. When it did, he felt horrified with his actions. He couldn't understand why he had reacted so dreadfully. How could he have done that to her?

"What?" Lyre asked, looking up at the tiger standing over her. "You're… you're joining the army? I thought that you weren't going to."

"I never said that. I said that I wasn't sure yet," he replied, avoiding her gaze. He stood with his back straight, but he couldn't look at Lyre. His eyes stared in any direction other than the one that led to her.

"First Ranulf left, then Lethe two years ago and now you? Why do you all need to fight for? It's not like there's a war. There are other ways to show pride for Gallia," she said quietly, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. "Who am I going to talk to if you're gone, too?"

Kyza said nothing. He didn't know what to say, he had never comforted her before. Whenever they had argued, they'd stomp away from each other and the next day, they would've forgotten what they were fighting about. That was how their friendship worked.

"You know, Kyza… I'm going to miss you."

"You are?" he asked, startled. The tiger certainly wasn't expecting that.

"We argue all the time, but you're still my best friend… Well, next to Lethe. Make sure you visit me as much as you can, okay?"

"… You have my word."

Kyza stepped out of his tent and looked around, but saw nothing. Of course Lyre wouldn't be in sight. His grip tightened around the scroll in his hand and he began to walk towards Lyre's tent. As he strode through the camp, the other soldiers stepped out of his way. They usually did, since he was a respected fighter, despite his closed personality, but today they saw that he was even more determined than normal.

He didn't bother to check if she was inside before he slipped into her tent. She was seated on her cot, knees drawn to her chest. Scrubbing at her face, she glared at Kyza.

"What do you want? I don't want to talk to you," she said.

"I'm here to apologize," Kyza replied awkwardly, taking a tentative step forward. He didn't think he ever remembered apologizing to her. "What I said before was completely out of place. I was angry and I let my temper get the best of me. You know, I'm not usually so… uncouth."

Lyre said nothing, but she stopped glowering at him. Instead she only shrugged. Taking that as a good sign, he stepped towards her bed and put the scroll down beside her.

"I realize that this could never make up for my behaviour, but please take it as a token of my apology." Turning around, he left the tent and entered the darkening evening. However, he was not headed towards his tent.

"I don't believe it," Kyza spluttered as he saw the new recruits to his regiment. Beside him, he saw that Ranulf was also surprised. Standing in line with the other cats and tigers stood Lyre, her head held high. Since when did Lyre want to join the army? She hated fighting!

It seemed like an eternity before he could talk to her in private, but finally as their daily exercises came to close, he managed to pull her aside.

"Oh, hello sir. Did you want to talk to me?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Don't play coy, Lyre! What are you doing here?!" he growled, letting her arm go so as not to not draw attention.

"I'm a new recruit, couldn't you tell? Gee, I thought you were smarter than that, Kyza."

"You hate the army!"

"I don't hate the army. I just don't like fighting. Still, I figured that since we… lost so many soldiers during the Mad King's War a few months ago that I should join to bolster the numbers," the cat answered with a shrug. However, her eyes avoided looking at him. "Anyway, I never see you guys anymore and… I've been worried."

"Just because you're worried doesn't mean you're supposed to join the army! You're so frail, you'll get killed!" Kyza retorted with a sigh.

"Hey! I dare you to say that again! I'm just as tough as you are! And I'm faster to boot! You just watch, Kyza, I'll beat you and Captain Ranulf will see that I'm better than you are!" she said, sticking he tongue out at him.

"I say!" he exclaimed, appalled.

"Haha! You should see the look on your face!" Lyre laughed, covering her mouth. "Anyway, Kyza, you have nothing to worry about! If it gets too hot, I know that you'll be there to cover my back, right?"

She winked at him before running back to get in line again, leaving the poor tiger speechless. He really didn't know what to say, since he knew that she was right.

Almost the entire camp was asleep when Kyza returned. His usually pristine clothes were muddy and rumpled. Pushing his sweaty hair away from his face, he paused outside a tent. A moment later, he carefully slipped in.

Lyre was curled up on her cot, sleeping peacefully. Judging by her smiling face, one would never have guessed how sad she had been mere hours ago. He also knew that in the morning, she would greet him with her usually smirk and jump on him from behind.

Padding over to her bed quietly, he let his eyes fall on her face and he once again remarked that he found her to be very pretty. He had thought so for as long as he could remember. She had a messy look about her, but that only added to her charm. Maybe it was because he was so neat and tidy.

With a sigh, he lay what he was holding beside her head. Lyre shifted and her hand brushed against the object. She let out a contented mew, pulling it towards her chest unconsciously.

"Well, this will be the second time. I wonder if you'll ever figure it out?"

Okay, so now I'm wondering if you all figured that out. I didn't want to say it out right, but I'm fairly certain that I made it obvious enough. I tried using a different style (the flashback alternating thing), so I hope that it turned out okay. The only thing I'm not too certain about is the characterization. I'm pretty sure that they're both IC. I mean, Kyza's a little… expressive but if you've seen the "Cat Fight" info convo, you'd see that he's pretty open with Lyre.

Oscar: We hope you all enjoyed that, so leave a review!

--FireEdge--